Last Modified: Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 12:27 a.m.

The former Miss America had been sexually abused by her father from the time she was 5 until she was 18, more than 600 times.

Atler, 76, will be the keynote speaker for The Healing Place’s Celebration of Courage luncheon fundraiser on April 29 from noon to 2 p.m. at Kenmure Country Club.

The Healing Place is a rape crisis center in Hendersonville that provides counseling and legal services to men, women and children following rape, sexual assault and child sexual abuse. All services of The Healing Place are offered for free to its clients.

“With the federal and state funding kind of shrinking, we’ve recognized that we really need to go out into our community and raise money,” said Angie Alley, executive director of The Healing Place. “It’s been really hard because for so long we were the best-kept secret.”

The taboo nature of sexual violence, Alley said, has led to many stereotypes and misconceptions. She said many believe sexual assault is just a women’s issue, but last year, 25 percent of The Healing Place’s clients were men and boys.

Having Atler as their national speaker will help break down the stereotype that incest cannot happen in affluent families, Alley said, and prove that someone who was sexually abused as a child can go on to have a successful and happy marriage.

After being hospitalized for weeks and sent the Mayo Clinic, doctors could not find anything physically wrong with Atler. Her paralysis spells lasted for 12 years. At 50, she was hospitalized in a psychiatric ward where she realized she would have to work toward her own healing in order to help others like her, according to biographical information submitted to The Healing Place by Atler.

“(Atler) had physical paralysis. She could not move and she said, ‘I had every test. I had every resource imaginable to me and I could not fathom that what was wrong with me was a result of incest,’” Alley said. “She’s made this her life work. I wanted to get her because I think she’ll stop touring in the near future.”

Some of the hardest cases The Healing Place receives, Alley said, are individuals over the age of 60 who are only just dealing with sexual assault from their childhood.

“They have lived with it all of their lives and their coping mechanisms aren’t working and they’re still struggling at 60, 65 and 70,” Alley said. “So I think she’ll be very empowering and we’re very excited about her coming.”

For more information, contact The Healing Place at 828-692-0495 or visit www.thehealingplace.info.

<p>At 39, Marilyn Van Derbur Atler's body was entering long periods of paralysis when her daughter's fifth birthday triggered dark memories from Atler's past.</p><p>The former Miss America had been sexually abused by her father from the time she was 5 until she was 18, more than 600 times.</p><p>Atler, 76, will be the keynote speaker for The Healing Place's Celebration of Courage luncheon fundraiser on April 29 from noon to 2 p.m. at Kenmure Country Club.</p><p>The Healing Place is a rape crisis center in Hendersonville that provides counseling and legal services to men, women and children following rape, sexual assault and child sexual abuse. All services of The Healing Place are offered for free to its clients.</p><p>“With the federal and state funding kind of shrinking, we've recognized that we really need to go out into our community and raise money,” said Angie Alley, executive director of The Healing Place. “It's been really hard because for so long we were the best-kept secret.”</p><p>The taboo nature of sexual violence, Alley said, has led to many stereotypes and misconceptions. She said many believe sexual assault is just a women's issue, but last year, 25 percent of The Healing Place's clients were men and boys.</p><p>Having Atler as their national speaker will help break down the stereotype that incest cannot happen in affluent families, Alley said, and prove that someone who was sexually abused as a child can go on to have a successful and happy marriage.</p><p>After being hospitalized for weeks and sent the Mayo Clinic, doctors could not find anything physically wrong with Atler. Her paralysis spells lasted for 12 years. At 50, she was hospitalized in a psychiatric ward where she realized she would have to work toward her own healing in order to help others like her, according to biographical information submitted to The Healing Place by Atler. </p><p>“(Atler) had physical paralysis. She could not move and she said, 'I had every test. I had every resource imaginable to me and I could not fathom that what was wrong with me was a result of incest,'” Alley said. “She's made this her life work. I wanted to get her because I think she'll stop touring in the near future.”</p><p>Some of the hardest cases The Healing Place receives, Alley said, are individuals over the age of 60 who are only just dealing with sexual assault from their childhood.</p><p>“They have lived with it all of their lives and their coping mechanisms aren't working and they're still struggling at 60, 65 and 70,” Alley said. “So I think she'll be very empowering and we're very excited about her coming.”</p><p>For more information, contact The Healing Place at 828-692-0495 or visit www.thehealingplace.info.</p><p>Reach Bindewald at 694-7890 or renee.bindewald@blueridgenow.com.</p>